http://newiprogressive.com/images/stories/S5/voter-primaries-s5.jpgRecently passed Republican legislation changes absentee/early voting rules in Wisconsin, making the window for early voting very small and more difficult to use for many working people.

Coach Rob Jeter had a winning record, a commitment to the community, and he was the only senior administrator of color in the Athletics Department. Sen. Lena Taylor questions the blatant under representation of people of color both in the UWM administration and in the student body.

MILWAUKEE - This past week, the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee made a seemingly abrupt decision to fire Coach Rob Jeter. This is a man that has dedicated well over a decade to our athletic program. During his time as coach, he led the Panthers through the conference tournament championship in 2013-14, conference regular season champion in 2010-11 and seven winning seasons.

More than that, he is a leader in the community. Coach Jeter held the position of Campus Chair of the State Employees Combined Campaign and is always keeping a constant focus on community outreach. He also was the only senior administrator of color in the Athletics Department.

Only 33% of currently enrolled freshman at UWM are students of color, and only 18.1% are student athletes of color. The blatant under representation of people of color both in the administration and in the student body is something that cannot be ignored.

Further, I feel that Amanda Braun, the current athletic director, has had a hit out for him since she took up her position. I do hope that UWM can make the inclusion of people of color a larger focus in the future and not allow great people like Coach Jeter to be let go. I am certain he will be missed by many.

Today’s Republican Party has become the party of backlash. The Democratic Party is now widely seen as the party of entitlement and protected classes. In the middle 'Made-for-TV' characters like Donald Trump gladly try to fill the empty space.

These are what America’s Great Void naturally and inevitably will produce.

The current condition of the two major political parties has created a vacuum. Made-for-TV characters like Donald Trump gladly try to fill the empty space.

Republicans are increasingly spooked by the prospect of having Trump as their standard bearer. Prominent Democrats are pointing out that the Republicans did this to themselves. This is, of course, true. But it’s not the whole truth.

Democrats share blame for fueling Trump’s rise because Democrats bear great responsibility for the formation of the Great Void.

The Democratic Party is now widely seen as the party of entitlement and protected classes. It is seen as the party that taxes those who work and gives to those who don’t, the party that will give you the shirt off someone else’s back. Democratic policies catering to narrow constituencies since at least the 1960s have continually reinforced this image.

Over the years Democrats earned a reputation as water carriers for organized labor. This reputation served Democrats well when you could find a union member in nearly every family in the country. But the vast majority of working people in the U.S. don’t belong to unions anymore. Unions now represent only about one in 10 American workers. In the private sector it’s more like one in 15. The masses of nonunion blue-collar laborers see the Democrats fighting for those few, but not for them.

Today’s Republican Party has become the party of backlash. The GOP has dedicated itself to demolishing the welfare state, cutting down the social safety net, pitting one group of working people against another, and generally retracing every liberal step that’s been taken and reversing every liberal law that’s been made. Unfortunately for the Republicans, Donald Trump perfectly embodies the backlash. And he is a personality so large he can seemingly fill the Great Void all by himself.

The problem for Republicans is their identity at the moment is entirely wrapped up in what they want to tear down. The only thing they can think to build is walls. Making America a fortress has undeniable appeal to the darkest side of our nature, but closing ourselves off from others won’t make our country great again. Isolationism in any of its many forms has never made America great. Turns out that while Trump’s personality is luminous and gigantic, his vision is dark and puny. Even with an ego that large stepping into the vacuum, the Great Void remains.